Career and Education Opportunities for Software Engineers in Pasadena, California

Software engineers can find both educational opportunities and jobs in the Pasadena, California area. The national trend for software engineers sees this job pool growing by about 13.1% over the next eight years. In general, software engineers design and develop solutions to complex applications problems, system administration issues, or network concerns.

Income for software engineers is about $37 hourly or $77,360 per year on average in California. Nationally, their income is about $36 hourly or $75,150 per year. Software engineers earn less than people working in the category of Computer generally in California and more than people in the Computer category nationally. People working as software engineers can fill a number of jobs, such as: system architect, web architect, and systems engineer.

The Pasadena area is home to 210 schools of higher education, including seven within twenty-five miles of Pasadena where you can get a degree as a software engineer. The most common level of education for software engineers is a Bachelor's degree. You can expect to spend about four years studying to be a software engineer if you already have a high school diploma.

CAREER DESCRIPTION: Software Engineer

In general, software engineers design and develop solutions to complex applications problems, system administration issues, or network concerns. They also perform systems management and integration functions.

Software engineers furnish advice on project costs or layout changes. They also document layout specifications and other system-related data. Equally important, software engineers have to verify the stability or scalability of system architecture. They are often called upon to complete models and simulations, using manual or automated tools, to analyze or predict system performance under different operating conditions. They are expected to identify system data or software components used to meet user needs. Finally, software engineers collaborate with engineers or software developers to decide on appropriate layout solutions or insure the compatibility of system components.

Every day, software engineers are expected to be able to write clearly and communicate well. They need to listen to and understand others in meetings. It is also important that they read and understand documents and reports.

It is important for software engineers to perform ongoing hardware and software maintenance operations, including installing or upgrading hardware or software. They are often called upon to research or verify proper functioning of software patches and fixes. They also train system users in system operation or maintenance. They are sometimes expected to perform security analyses of developed or packaged software components. Somewhat less frequently, software engineers are also expected to train system users in system operation or maintenance.

They also have to be able to communicate project data through presentations, technical reports or white papers and evaluate current or emerging technologies to consider factors such as cost or usability. And finally, they sometimes have to direct the installation of operating systems, network or application software, or computer or network hardware.

Like many other jobs, software engineers must be able to absorb the factors involved and a problem and provide a well thought out solution and be thorough and dependable.

Similar jobs with educational opportunities in Pasadena include:

Applications Programmer. Develop, create, and modify general computer applications software or specialized utility programs. Analyze user needs and develop software solutions. Design software or customize software for client use with the aim of optimizing operational efficiency. May analyze and design databases within an application area, working individually or coordinating database development as part of a team.

Computer Programmer. Convert project specifications and statements of problems and procedures to detailed logical flow charts for coding into computer language. Develop and write computer programs to store, locate, and retrieve specific documents, data, and information. May program web sites.

Computer Scientist. Conduct research into fundamental computer and information science as theorists, designers, or inventors. Solve or develop solutions to problems in the field of computer hardware and software.

Computer Support Specialist. Provide technical assistance to computer system users. Answer questions or resolve computer problems for clients in person, via telephone or from remote location. May provide assistance concerning the use of computer hardware and software, including printing, and operating systems.

Network Systems and Data Communications Analyst. Analyze, design, and evaluate network systems, such as local area networks (LAN), wide area networks (WAN), Internet, intranet, and other data communications systems. Perform network modeling, analysis, and planning. Research and recommend network and data communications hardware and software. Includes telecommunications specialists who deal with the interfacing of computer and communications equipment. May supervise computer programmers.

Network and Computer Systems Administrator. Install, configure, and support an organization's local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), and Internet system or a segment of a network system. Maintain network hardware and software. Monitor network to ensure network availability to all system users and perform necessary maintenance to support network availability. May supervise other network support and client server specialists and plan, coordinate, and implement network security measures.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Software Engineer Training

Westwood College-South Bay - Torrance, CA

Westwood College-South Bay, 19700 S. Vermont Avenue, Suite 100, Torrance, CA 90502. Westwood College-South Bay is a small college located in Torrance, California. It is a private for-profit school with primarily 4-year or above programs and has 620 students. Westwood College-South Bay has an associate's degree and a bachelor's degree program in Computer Engineering which graduated five and zero students respectively in 2008.

University of California-Los Angeles - Los Angeles, CA

University of California-Los Angeles, 405 Hilgard Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1405. University of California-Los Angeles is a large university located in Los Angeles, California. It is a public school with primarily 4-year or above programs. It has 37,782 students and an admission rate of 24%. University of California-Los Angeles has a bachelor's degree program in Computer Engineering which graduated forty-one students in 2008.

DeVry University-California - Pomona, CA

DeVry University-California, 901 Corporate Ctr Dr, Pomona, CA 91768-2642. DeVry University-California is a medium sized university located in Pomona, California. It is a private for-profit school with primarily 4-year or above programs. It has 6,183 students and an admission rate of 88%. DeVry University-California has a bachelor's degree program in Computer Software Engineering which graduated twelve students in 2008.

California State University-Northridge - Northridge, CA

California State University-Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff St, Northridge, CA 91330. California State University-Northridge is a large university located in Northridge, California. It is a public school with primarily 4-year or above programs. It has 36,208 students and an admission rate of 69%. California State University-Northridge has 2 areas of study related to Software Engineer. They are:

Computer Engineering, bachelor's degree which graduated 33 students in 2008.

California State University-Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90840-0115. California State University-Long Beach is a large university located in Long Beach, California. It is a public school with primarily 4-year or above programs. It has 37,891 students and an admission rate of 47%. California State University-Long Beach has a bachelor's degree program in Computer Engineering which graduated two students in 2008.

University of Southern California - Los Angeles, CA

University of Southern California, University Park, Los Angeles, CA 90089. University of Southern California is a large university located in Los Angeles, California. It is a private not-for-profit school with primarily 4-year or above programs. It has 33,747 students and an admission rate of 22%. University of Southern California has 3 areas of study related to Software Engineer. They are:

Computer Engineering, bachelor's degree, master's degree, and doctor's degree which graduated zero, twenty-seven, and six students respectively in 2008.

Computer Software Engineering, bachelor's degree.

Computer Engineering, Other Specialties, bachelor's degree which graduated 24 students in 2008.

Westwood College-Los Angeles - Los Angeles, CA

Westwood College-Los Angeles, 3250 Wilshire Blvd Ste 400, Los Angeles, CA 90010. Westwood College-Los Angeles is a small college located in Los Angeles, California. It is a private for-profit school with primarily 4-year or above programs. It has 1,046 students and an admission rate of 37%. Westwood College-Los Angeles has an associate's degree program in Computer Engineering which graduated three students in 2008.

CERTIFICATIONS

Certified GIS/LIS Technologist:
This is certification is for technicians who integrate a variety of spatial data sets into a GIS format designed for graphic output or analysis.

Biomedical Electronics Technician:
Biomedical electronics technicians are expected to obtain knowledge of the principles of modern biomedical techniques, the proper procedure in the care, handling and maintenance of biomedical equipment and to display an attitude/behavior expected of an electronics technician who works in a hospital or healthcare environment.

Certified Satellite Installer:
Earning a Certified Satellite Installer (CSI) certification means you possess the knowledge and skills essential to a successful satellite technician as defined by experts in the field.

Licensed Penetration Tester:
The licensed penetration tester is a program which trains security professionals to analyze the security posture of a network exhaustively and recommend corrective measures authoritatively.

LOCATION INFORMATION: Pasadena, California

Pasadena, California photo by Morgoth666

Pasadena is located in Los Angeles County, California. It has a population of over 143,080, which has grown by 6.8% over the last ten years. The cost of living index in Pasadena, 167, is far greater than the national average. New single-family homes in Pasadena are priced at $298,000 on average, which is near the state average. In 2008, thirty-nine new homes were constructed in Pasadena, down from one hundred thirty-three the previous year.

The top three industries for women in Pasadena are educational services, health care, and professional, scientific, and technical services. For men, it is professional, scientific, and technical services, educational services, and accommodation and food services. The average commute to work is about 26 minutes. More than 41.3% of Pasadena residents have a bachelor's degree, which is higher than the state average. The percentage of residents with a graduate degree, 17.8%, is higher than the state average.

The unemployment rate in Pasadena is 9.7%, which is less than California's average of 12.3%.

The percentage of Pasadena residents that are affiliated with a religious congregation, 58.1%, is more than both the national and state average. Pasadena Church of God, All Saints Episcopal Church and Grace United Methodist Church are among the churches located in Pasadena. The most prominent religious groups are the Catholic Church, the Southern Baptist Convention and the LDS (Mormon) Church.

Pasadena is home to the Annandale Golf Course and the Hill Avenue Branch Pasadena Public Library as well as Victory Park and Lower Arroyo Park. Shopping centers in the area include Hastings Ranch Plaza Shopping Center, Hastings Ranch Shopping Center and Plaza Pasadena Shopping Center. Visitors to Pasadena can choose from Best Western Pasadena Inn, Best Western Colorado Inn Pasa and Astro Motel Pasadena for temporary stays in the area.